OLOMANA (LGB 22130) - How do you remove the motor?

[Eric_Mueller]

We have a 1994 vintage LGB 22310 Olomana. The motor recently stalled out after a couple hours gracing the garden. I picked Olomana up a couple years back when she came up for sale used. I had a few moments to crack open Olomana this morning and found:

a.) The previous owners lived even nearer to the beach than we do:

b.) There is some sort of loose spring up by the brushes (near the tip of the screw driver):

c.) No amount of fiddling could pop out the motor!

I tried wiggling back and forth to no effect, getting a screw driver between the motor and the chassis with the same results, and trying to pop it out after removing the gear box from the motor frame. Is there a trick to this?

Also, what is the best way to clear out the sand? I am assuming there is something in which to soak the gears and drive belts.

Finally, I noted from TrainLi’s site that the motor for this model changed in the late '90s. Does anyone know off hand if the new one is incompatible with the older frame?

I’d prefer to clean the gear box, buy and install a new motor and get Olomana back on the rails, but, if that would require some specialty tool or arcane procedure, I am also happy to just send it in to TrainLi. Given my past track record, that could prove cheaper (if less instructive!) over the long haul!

Thanks,
Eric

[PeterT]

@Eric_Mueller

Is there a trick to this?

Yes, google?
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1256208/Lgb-22130.html?page=5

From that manual:
"Hint:
The screws used in the gearbox are different sizes. For
proper reassembly, note the location of each screw.
- Remove the trailing axle by removing the small pivot screw
in the center of the axle arm.
- Remove the rear gearbox bracket by removing two screws.
- Remove the large screw at the front of the gearbox.
- Remove the bottom of the gearbox by removing five small
screws.
- Replace the motor, wheelsets, pick-up shoes or brushes.
- Reassemble"

And then there’s this:
https://largescalecentral.com/t/i-want-to-grease-this-lgb-loco/80757/7

Should give you some fun reading for the weekend!

[PeterT]

@Eric_Mueller

Also, what is the best way to clear out the sand? I am assuming there is something in which to soak the gears and drive belts.

I would try soap and water, once the motor is out - then a good drying and lots more oil and grease?

[Eric_Mueller]

@PeterT

Should give you some fun reading for the weekend!

Thanks, @PeterT . I found and printed an exploded parts diagram, too. I thought I had that chassis pretty well stripped down. Mabe I missed something. I’ll take another crack tomorrow.

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

Turns out the key was to push the wires off the circuit board just forward of the gear box. These wires are thick, well soldered, and, best of all, use “friction hold” connectors. With that off, I was able to put pressure evenly around the gear box frame and pop out the motor. I love the fact that LGB seems to have repairability designed into their models.

Sure enough, the issue was the brush spring.

To confirm that my diagnosis was correct, I hooked a 9 volt battery to the motor poles, pushed the negative brush in with a screwdriver, and watched the motor spark to life. Unfortunately, no amount of fiddling could get that spring to reseat. Studying the positive pole provided limited insight. The hook apparently latches into the framing around the carbon brush. Perhaps that had snapped off on the negative side? The brushes also look to be half gone, so maybe the spring had lost elasticity to hold it in place as the brush wore away? No clue. I passed this part of electrical engineering through rote memorization and moved on with my life 30 years ago…

I don’t have the tools to pry open the motor can for an attempt at reseating the spring, so the plan is to save myself the aggravation and buy a new motor. I can then experiment away to my heart’s content with this thing while enjoying something actually prototypical to not just Hawaii but almost to my neighborhood cut circles in the garden.

Time to inventory my parts needs and make my semi-annnual parts order from TrainLi!

Have a Great Week!

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

I confirmed the part number and placed my order with TrainLi. Olomana will again grace the rails!

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

My parts delivery from TrainLi arrived, so Kid-zilla and I set to work getting Olomana back on the rails. We had washed the internal earlier with soap and water to remove sand and old grease, but Kid-zilla gave everything a once-over with a dental pick and toothbrush:

I am starting to move him up the complexity scale in terms of tasks. He did pretty well!

He then discovered the rollers I had ordered - long overdue repair bits - and began testing all the little 0-4-0s and Macks I store for the gang on the “ready track.”

I lubed up Olomana’s internals and began to button her up. Boy, that drive belt makes quartering this little loco a beast! Naturally, something went wrong. Over multiple periods between late last week and today, I could not get the motor to turn. The motor is fine. There are no internal shorts. I found, however, that the motor tab is just far enough away from the bus to not make contact.

If I apply power to the bus bars and use a dental pick to touch the motor tab and the bus in the upper part of the picture above, it works great. As soon as I remove the dental pick, the motor stops. I tried to gently bend the tab on the motor as well as the bus, but to no avail. I thought about a shim, but I am guessing that could lead to real trouble if it broke free inside the motor block. I also considered soldering a jumper wire or even just layering a thin line of solder on the tab. As any of these ideas could lead to expensive damage to the motor or motorblock, I figured I’d stop and seek suggestions before proceeding.

Interestingly, the little clip in the photo popped out when I disassembled the locomotive:

I haven’t the foggiest idea where it came from, and it is not in the PDF diagram I downloaded. Is this even related to the issue above?

As ever, I appreciate the help!

Have a Great Week!

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Down with a bug, but some “Garden Therapy” has given me time to brainstorm solutions.

I am worried if I solder a jumper between the tab and the bus, the jumper might get entangled somewhere unless I am really careful. The jumper would have to be long enough for me to solder one side to the tab and the other to the bus with slack to slide the motor into place. Between the worm gear and the axle, there is not a lot of room to put the slack.

Given that, what if I were to wrap the motor tab in thin copper wire, then solder that wrap to the tab? The idea would be to thicken the tab enough to get a good contact with the bus.

Off for more “therapy.”
Eric

[PeterT]

Eric,
That second photo makes it look as if the bus wire is bent inwards away from the motor tab?

The bus wire is quite substantial and is one solid piece, I think. Can you bend the end of it to better contact the motor tab? The first and second photo in this thread clearly shows it contacting the tab - maybe you can figure out what changed?

I think you can wrap the motor tab in thin copper wire and try it without soldering. Make sure some of it goes through the hole. Clean the tab first by rubbing sand/emery paper on both sides. (Steal a nail buffer from CINCHOUSE.)

[Eric_Mueller]

Thanks, Pete. I did try bending the bus a bit; as you mentioned, it is quite substantial! I tried bending it in place, and I don’t think I made much difference.

As for why this won’t make contact and the old motor did, I can only speculate something had slowly deformed the bus or the channel it sits in over time. We are talking a barely visible air gap.

I will try again later. Episodic coughing fits make fine work near expensive parts a dicey prospect!

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

The funk being largely astern of me, I took another crack at this little loco this morning.

First, I confirmed my suspicion that the one bus was just a little out of alignment. I wedged the mystery clip between the motor block and the bus…

…and, sure as you’re born, the motor spun. I was not comfortable leaving this in the motor block like this, so I removed it and began to investigate the bus itself to see if it was somehow out of place. Tracing it back to the circuit board showed it was not inserted all the way, so the 1:24 lads and I fixed it:

This did not, however seat the bus. I tried bending the bus, but, as @PeterT mentioned, these are pretty stout. I was loathe to force the issues, so I turned back to the motor tab. Instead of just bending it towards the bus, I gave it a slight twist. Eureka! I dared to button the little loco up (quartering this beast is tricky, BTW. Make sure you detach the siderods!).

Video: Olomana on the Test Stand

I should mention that these test rollers should have been part of a purchase years ago…

Only because this went rather well, Olomana got a to do her break-in on the mainline, beginning with a special.

Video: Olomana Pulls a Return-to-Service-Special

After decoupling from the shorty, she happily pulled a flat car around the railroad for the most of the rest of the afternoon as I busily “suffered” the last day of my exile!

Thanks for following and for the help!

Aloha,

Eric